Bottom filler for shoes



1\/La..y2s,1946.` HLG, LUMBARD l A2,401,038 l BOTTOM FILLER FOR SHOES Filed Sept. 22, 1944 Patented VMay 2S, 1946 j UNITED STATES PATENT OIIficEgl 4 Claims.

This invention relates to bottom fillers for the forepart cavity of shoes and consists in a novel shoe bottom structure possessing certain advanf tages which have been long sought Yby the industry.

vFor many years the shoemaking industry has contended against two incompatible requirements in the endeavor to produce a perfect shoe bottom. In the first place the forepart, which is repeatedly and Severely flexed in every step taken by the wearer, must be highly flexible. if the shoe is to be worn with comfort. the bottom must be thick enough'- and have enough strength and body to protect the foot of vthe wearer from the discomfort of feeling every under-foot roughness. I have discovered a satisfactory solution for this old `and difficult problem by making a new combination from'shoemaking elements that have been heretofore available but neverhave been combined as I propose to combine them, and never before used tolac complish the highly desirable results achieved by my invention. t

Plastic fillers have been used formany years, and while these are satisfactory Afrom a stand# point of flexibility, they tend to become deformed and displaced in the shoe bottom by a process of slow flow so that the insole'does not remain flat under the foot of the wearer but develops objectionable `hollows and cavities. On theV other hand, a multitude ofldiife'rent fillers of solid sheet material have been used of every conceivable composition and in a great many different physical shapes, but all of these sheet fillers have tended to stiifen the shoe bottom by the well known plywood effect and this has been the case even though the material of the sheet filler has been flexible itself and even though perforated or transversely grooved.

I have discovered, however, that all of the objections above discussed may be avoided'and certain positive advantages achieved by employing sole ller blanks prepared from a compositesheet of insole and cushion stock. Going more into detail, I propose to form a composite filler consisting of two united plies, one ply being a continuous elastic sheet material, and the other being of tough fibrous sheet material transversely slashed and longitudinally expanded. Blanks of suitable size may, be prepared from sheet stock and then secured to the outer face of the insole within the overlasted margin of the upperl e In preparing the ller of my invention, I start with a rm solid piece of insole material. It is thenslashed in the manner explained, and during In the second place,

50 tion and shown (ci. ca -so) or subsequent to the slashingoperation the mate-- rial is expanded, that is, the slashes are opened so that their opposed edges are spaced slightly from each other in the finishedproduct. The l usual procedure is to over-expand this material and then permit it to relax `to some 'extent but not to go back to its original condition." This slashed s heetis then ,united in face to face con-` A ller ofthis composite construction, cut to size,

is then inserted in the shoe vwith its'slashedzply in this expanded condition and attached to the The composite blank will accordingly bend `without resistance and in no way impairs the flexibility of the insole with which it is associated. Moreoveigit introduces into the shoe bottom a cushion effect which isa elastic cushionply or layer.

notable factor of comfort tothe wearer.`

type Aof shoe-that 'carries a fillerjand can be clethe sole whenthe shoe is worn.

The material of'the filler `is selected for its depression-resisting property, that is to sav, it should be of suiciently rm texture to eliminate the possibility of local flow under 'conditions of heat and pressure in wear, or of matting down as might occur in a loosely felted structure. Suitable materials are available on the market under the trade names of "Onco," Texon and Darexf These all comprise porous paper stockfimpregtion in sheet form is readily available upon vthe market.V In some cases the composite ller may be cut off at the toe end as being yunnecessary in the manufactureof the shoe.

The features and characteristics of my invention will be best understood and appreciated from the following description of preferred embodiments thereof, selected for purposes of illustrain the accompanying drawing,

inwhich: Y

Fig. 1 is a view in perspective of a composite sheet of filler material showing a single filler blank cut therefrom, f i

56 Fig. 2 is a View in perspective of the same filler The ll'er of myinventioncanlbe used in any tion a sheet I0 of insole stock, breboard, Onco or the like.,

is selected of the thickness required in the llerf This sheet is then slashed by rows of. closely= a'dl jacent short slashes I Iextending entirely through the mater-iai from side to side, "tneindividiiaislashes intersecting theV edgesof the 'sheetwherever they happen to fall. The slashes II are ,accurately aligned in their respective rows andthe individual slashes are staggered in adjacent rows. 'Ihe material of `the-sheet Ill is expanded in such manner as to space the opposed edges ofV each individual slashor slit fromeach other to such an extent thatvthey do not make contact when the sheet, or a filler including thesheet, is flexed even to an'extent greater than thatfatwhichit is flexed in ordinary wear. yThe step of expand- .ing the material maybe effectedafter. the slashingv operation, or itk maybe eITected simultaneously with* thegslashingtcperation by using a lbevf without hindrance and to contract or expand withinthe necessary limits.

Y Sole filler blanks may now be cut from the composite sheet Ill-I2 by dies or by :means of patterns giving the filler the-exact orapproximate size andzoutlineof the-cavity oi the shoe bottom wherein the ller is to beused. A ller blank is shown in Fig. 2 Vas removed' from the sheet shown in Fig. l. y

In Fig. 3 is shown a cementv lasted shoe having an insole I3, an upperV I4 having its margin I5 over-lasted about the forepart ofthe insole and securedfin place'by cement.` The ller I 0-I2 is cut to t the cavity formed' by the overlasted margin ofthe upper and inserted with itscushion ply I2 in contact with the outer face of the insole I3. The filler may be cemented in place either by a continuous coat or by spots of cement.

In Fig. 4 is shown portions of a welt shoe having an insole I6, an upper I1 with its margin overlasted on the insole` and stitched to a lwelt I8. The insole rib lI9 is partiallyvconcealed by the welt IB. In this Vinstance the rib and Welt define the forepart cavity which is to be occupied by the filler I0I2. After the welt I8 has been sewn and trimmed, the composite filler blank is fastened in place upon the outer face of the insole with its cushion ply innermost and lies with its outer face substantially flush withthe surface of the welt. The forepart cavity is thus filled" with solid material but of such character that it in no way impairs the ilexibility of the insole with which it is associated.

`It is in some instances desirable to stiften the extreme toe portion of the'shoe bottom as compared with the forepart in which ilexing naturally occurs, and in Fig. 5 I have illustrated a modification of my sole ller in which the brous ply 2U is left intact and unslashed in the toe region. The formation of this ller requires the brous ply to beslashedin definite longitudinal bands 'separated by unslashed bandsand the individual iillrs to be cut so as to include the solid f portion of the sheet in the toe portion of they filler. maybe produced as above explained and will Otherwise the iiller illustrated in Fig. 5

have the characteristics already discussed.

In'Fig. 6 the ller of Fig. 5 is shown as placed -in the cavity of acement lasted shoe, but in this case the fibrous ply 20 is placed in contact with the insole I3. It will be understood that the composite iiller of ,my invention may be placed either side up in the shoe bottom although the best results will beY usually found when the cushion layeris placed next to the insole as suggested in Figs. 3 and 4.

Y While asalready pointed out the. composite filler of my invention is not subject to local ilow and caving in under theioot of the wearer, it does exhibit the capacity of self-adjustment in wear so that it alwaysllls the cavity size of the shoe bottom in which it is placed. This is a ,very

important advantage from thefstandpoint of commercial shoeinaking because it is desirable, particularly in manufacturing shoes of moderate price, to utilize sole llers of one predetermined size and shape in shoes of slightly different sizes. ,Forfexample it has been found entirely practical to cut llers of one size which will serve satisfactorilyV in shoes of three contiguous sizes and all widths. This is so because the composite filler asa whole is free toV contract orto expand slightly insupercial areas. lIi the filler is,` slightly short for the bottom cavity in which it is placed, it will be found to expand and lengthen when exed in the shoe bottom so that it` will completely ll the cavity.

Having thus disclosed my invention and described in detail illustrative embodiments thereof, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

l. A shoerhaving in its bottom an outsole, an insole, an upper lasted over the insole and forming a cavity thereon within its margin, and a ller of composite sheet material located in said cavity and including a cushion ply of cork composition and a tough flexible fibrous ply slashed transversely of the shoe, united to the cushion ply in face to face relation and disposed in contact with the inner face of the outsole in the shoe bottom.r

2. In a shoe having an outsole and an insole in its bottom enclosing a cavity of substantial area, a composite iiller located in said cavity and including a cushion ply of yieldable sheet material, and an underlying ply bonded thereto and consisting of a blank of fibrous material slashed transversely from edge to edge throughout the central area` of the ller and being unslashed and so of stiier texture in its toe portion.

3. In a shoe having an outsole and an insole, an upperlasted over the insole and presenting a cavity within its margin, a composite filler located in said cavity and consisting of two superposed blanks of similar siZe'and-shape, united to each other. inface to facefcontact, one blank being continuous and comprising a yieldable cushion material, and the other blank being of tough brous material transversely slashed and thus rendered flexible in Wear.

4. In a shoe having an outsole and an insole, an upper over-lasted and forming a cavity within its margins on the insole, a composite ller located in said cavity and consisting of two united plies, one ply being of continuous elastic sheet material, and the other being of tough brous sheet material transversely slashed and longitudinally expanded, whereby the ller as a Whole has the capacity of contraction or expansion in Wear to ll the cavity size of the shoe bottom..

HENRY G. LUMBARD. 

